Prominent theologian R. Albert Mohler, Jr., laid out seven purposes for God giving mankind the law, arguing that counter to popular belief, the law is an expression of God’s love.
Without the law, humans cannot know what is sin and we would “celebrate it and wallow in it and dive into the deep end of the pool,” said Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., at the 2011 Resolved Conference on Monday evening.
The law shows that God loves mankind because the commandments tell us what is good for us. It also is proof that God has not abandoned humans because of our sinfulness, preached the Southern Baptist leader to some 3,200 college-aged students.
“Folks, one of the most important ways that God shows His love for us is in showing sin to be sin,” stated Mohler during his hour-long sermon in Palm Springs, Calif. “We are not smart enough or wise enough; we are so sinful that we rebel against the truth.”
In contrast to modern-day complaints against the law – that it restrains and blocks people from enjoying their lives – Mohler pointed out that in the Old Testament, the Israelites were actually thankful to receive the law because it showed they were special (no one else had the law) and were loved by God (prohibited killing of children as sacrifice, among other rules).
The title of Mohler’s Monday night message was “So I really do need the law?” He contended that one cannot talk about the Gospel without the law – that they are two sides of a coin. Mohler began his address by noting that many churches do not have the correct balance between the law and Gospel, often emphasizing one side and dismissing the other.
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